The long odds that the Edmonton Oilers do not name their new General Manager this week: 9 Things

I think it happens this week.The Edmonton Oilers will hire their new General Manager.I don’t know that for a fact. But then again I don’t think anyone knows for sure, including the Oilers. Major hiring decisions in any industry rarely go exactly as planned.But there sure are a lot of stars and planets lining up to suggest that the end of the search is near. And that the hiring is upon us.Details on that and other Oilers matters in this week’s edition of…9 Things9. Winger Anton Slepyshev played for CSKA Moscow this season. His club finished first in the league and subsequently won the Gagarin Cup. Slepyshev went 15-10-25 in 56 regular season games. He has one year left on that deal. But the Oilers had also tendered the pending RFA a contract before Slepyshev departed for home and the KHL, thus retaining his NHL rights.8. Leon Draisaitl sure did not take much of a breather after the Oilers season came to a premature end. He is back at it this week in exhibition play leading up to the World Championships. In 2 games versus Team Austria Draisaitl has 5 goals and an assist including a hat trick. Over his career Draisaitl had 31 points in 28 games for the German Junior club. In his senior national career to date he has 26 points in 29 games.7. Connor McDavid was nominated this week for the NHL’s Ted Lindsay award. It’s his 3rd consecutive nomination and he has won it twice. Originating as the Lester B Pearson award in 1970-71, Wayne Gretzky has won the trophy 5 times including 4 in a row. A 3rd consecutive win would tie Connor with Guy Lafleur and Alexander Ovechkin. While Mario Lemieux claimed it 4 times, he never once captured it in consecutive seasons.6. The Oilers #1 prospect Evan Bouchard made quite a splash in his debut with the Bakersfield Condors this week. He had a goal and 2 assists in a win over Colorado. As per Oilers play by play man Bob Stauffer, Bouchard became the first player in Oilers history to score a goal in the CHL (London), AHL (Bakersfield) and NHL (Oilers) in the same season. Bouchard added another goal Saturday. His point shot is a game-changer.5. A lot of people see the Defence depth that has been developed in the Oilers amateur and minor pro systems and quickly come to the conclusion that the organization should deal one of them for scoring help on the wing: Evan Bouchard, Caleb Jones, Ethan Bear, William Lagesson, Dmitri Samorukov. Well o.k. But how well has trading young D-men before they’re fully developed worked out for the Oilers in the past?4. Bakersfield got 2 assists from prospect Tyler Benson Saturday night in the clinching 5-2 victory. The Condors’ playoff series win over Colorado is a sign that not all with the Edmonton Oilers is broken, just like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are signs of that as well. But in the next few days we will very likely see a vital step taken to finally tie all of this together. That something is a new General Manager.3. When I listed my Top GM candidates earlier this week, Sean Burke was mentioned but only briefly. With all due respect, Burke may indeed make an excellent G.M. some day. But his resume is not of the same quality as some others on the list. Now there are a few factors in Burke’s candidacy that we should not dismiss: Sean Burke was hired by the Coyotes in 2008 when Wayne Gretzky was Head Coach and part owner. Keith Gretzky became the Director of Amateur Scouting of that same club in 2006 and so was there when Burke was. Burke has also had a long association with Hockey Canada, of which Bob Nicholson was CEO from 1998 to 2014. Not quite 6 degrees of separation…but it’s close. Sometimes you hire what you know. But something about Burke’s candidacy doesn’t quite add up to me.2. As a result I still don’t see Sean Burke as a top candidate. Kelly McCrimmon and Mark Hunter are. I don’t believe that the likes of Ross Mahoney and Mike Futa are out of the picture just yet. And I also refuse to rule out Ken Holland and a number of smart hockey people feel the same way. Just keep in mind that an interview process is just that. It’s not a negotiation. I have first-hand experience that nothing, no matter how bloody sure you are going into contract talks, is final until you have a signature on the dotted line. A lot of funny things can happen on the way to The Forum. Any executive will understand that and have both a Plan “B” and “C” in place…just in case. But do I expect all of this to come to fruition soon? Yes. Why?1.Well put yourself in the place of Daryl Katz. You are the person who owns the Oilers, this multi-million dollar company. Would you proceed into the 2 single most important phases of your annual business plan without a guy in charge of your most important division? In your most visible hockey job? The Oilers Pro and Amateur scouting meetings will be held over the next week or so. The draft is the lifeblood of any organization but certainly for one like the Oilers which has yet to arrive. Keith Gretzky and his staff will have their ducks in a row. But if it’s not Gretzky as G.M. then the organization will want the new guy around that table. As the saying goes, “if you are not the painter then its not your Picasso”. Also in the next week to 10 days, the Oilers season ticket holder and super-box renewals hits a critical juncture. This is the stuff pays the bills. It keeps the lights on and that proverbial water running. It is vitally important to make the sale. And arguably, that job has never been tougher.How better to instill renewed confidence in your loyal but (understandably) cranky fan base than to have your newly minted General Manager sending out those “Please Sign Here” letters, containing a vision of the future?If I am Mr. Katz then I have said all of the above to Bob Nicholson and probably in no uncertain terms.Because after all, for all of our passion as fans…it’s a business. It comes down to balance sheets.Find me on Twitter @KurtLeavinsRecently, at The Cult…STAPLES: Young Gun Condors win AHL playoff series versus ColoradoMcCURDY: The Edmonton Oilers serious Entry Level challengesLEAVINS: Add one ore name to the list of GM candidates